"A Mansion on the Hill" is a song written by

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

and Fred Rose and originally recorded by Williams on

MGM Records MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...

. It peaked at No. 12 on the Most Played Jukebox Folk Records chart in March 1949.

Background

The details surrounding the origins of "A Mansion on the Hill" are ambiguous. For many years, an apocryphal tale circulated that after meeting Hank Williams and hearing his compositions, Fred Rose was so impressed that he could hardly believe that the unknown singer from Alabama could have written so many quality songs by himself, so he tested Hank by giving him the title "A Mansion on the Hill" to write a song around, which Hank did in a side room. In an interview years after Hank's death, his ex-wife Audrey claimed to have had a hand in writing the song herself: :"Fred said...'To prove to me you can write, I'm gonna give you a title, and I want you to take it back to Montgomery and write a song around it.' Hank worked with it and worked with it, and he never could do too much with it, and the reason he couldn't was because it wasn't his idea. One night...I started singing, "Tonight down here in the valley'...He really liked it, and it was a mixture of my lyrics, Hank's lyrics, and Fred Rose's lyrics." Part of the reason why Williams had difficulty with "A Mansion on the Hill" might have been that he did not write narrative ballads, his best songs freezing a moment, a feeling, or a grudge in time. He wound up adapting the melody for the song from

Bob Wills James Robert Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although S ...

' 1938 recording of "I Wonder If You Feel the Way I Do." The song was recorded in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

at Castle Studio on November 7, 1947, with Rose producing. The players included

Jerry Byrd Gerald Lester Byrd (March 9, 1920 – April 11, 2005) was an American musician who played the lap steel guitar in country and Hawaiian music, as well as a singer-songwriter and the head of a music publishing firm. He appeared on numerous radio ...

(steel guitar), Robert "Chubby" Wise (fiddle), Zeke Turner (lead guitar), probably Louis Innis (bass) and either

Owen Bradley William Owen Bradley (October 21, 1915 – January 7, 1998) was an American musician and record producer who, along with Chet Atkins, Bob Ferguson, Bill Porter, and Don Law, was one of the chief architects of the 1950s and 1960s Nashville sou ...

or Rose on piano. It was released in December 1948 and peaked at No. 12.

Cover versions

Kitty Wells Ellen Muriel Deason (August 30, 1919 – July 16, 2012), known professionally as Kitty Wells, was an American pioneering female country music singer. She broke down a barrier to women in country music with her 1952 hit recording "It Wasn't God W ...

recorded a version of the song in 1957. *

Hank Snow Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow (May 9, 1914 – December 20, 1999) was a Canadian-American country music artist. Most popular in the 1950s, he had a career that spanned more than 50 years, he recorded 140 albums and charted more than 85 singles on t ...

included it on his 1961 LP ''Hank Snow's Souvenirs''. *

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

recorded the song for his 1962 LP ''

My Favorites of Hank Williams ''My Favorites of Hank Williams'' is an album by American country music artist George Jones. It was released in 1962 on the United Artists record label. It was Jones' second tribute to the music of Hank Williams. Background Jones's first rele ...

''. *

Roy Acuff Roy Claxton Acuff (September 15, 1903 – November 23, 1992) was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music", Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown ...

cut the song for his 1966 LP ''Sings Hank Williams for the First Time''. *

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

released it on his ''

Make Way for Willie Nelson ''Make Way for Willie Nelson'' is the fifth studio album by country music, country singer Willie Nelson. The single "One in a Row", Nelson's only original included on the album, peaked at number 19 on ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard's'' Hot Cou ...

'' LP in 1967. *

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

cut a version of the song for his 1970 album '' Hank Williams the Roy Orbison Way''. *

Michael Martin Murphey Michael Martin Murphey (born March 14, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter best known for writing and performing Western music, country music and popular music. A multiple Grammy nominee, Murphey has six gold albums, including ''Cowboy Songs' ...

sang the song as a duet with

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...

on his 1976 album ''

Swans Against the Sun ''Swans Against the Sun'' is the fifth album by American singer-songwriter Michael Martin Murphey. The album features performances by John Denver, Charlie Daniels, and Willie Nelson, and peaked at number 44 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Track list ...

''. * Hank's friend and former roommate Ray Price recorded the song for his ''Hank 'N' Me'' album in 1976. *

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American singer, guitarist, and professional baseball player. His greatest musical success came in the early to mid-1970s, when he was the best-selling performer for RCA Reco ...

recorded a version of the tune for his 1980 album ''

There's a Little Bit of Hank in Me ''There's a Little Bit of Hank in Me'' is the twenty-seventh studio album by American country music artist Charley Pride. It was released in 1980 via RCA Nashville. The album peaked at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums chart and fe ...

''. *

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

's song "Mansion on the Hill" from the 1982 album ''Nebraska'' was inspired by Williams' song. *

Moe Bandy Marion Franklin "Moe" Bandy Jr. (born February 12, 1944) is an American country music singer. He was most popular during the 1970s, when he had several hit songs, both alone and with his singing partner, Joe Stampley. Early life and recording ...

recorded it for his 1983 Williams tribute LP. *

Tompall Glaser Thomas Paul "Tompall" Glaser (September 3, 1933 – August 12, 2013) was an American outlaw country music artist. Biography Glaser was born in Spalding, Nebraska, the son of Alice Harriet Marie (née Davis) and Louis Nicholas Glaser. He was ...

and the Glaser Brothers released the song on their 1981 album ''Loving Her Was Easier''. *

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

featured it on his 1992 collection ''

Ol' Waylon Sings Ol' Hank ''Ol' Waylon Sings Ol' Hank'' is an album by the American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on the singer's own label, WJ Records, in 1992. Background As the title suggests, it features Jennings' performances of songs written or made ...

''. * The song appears on the album ''The Ghost of Hank Williams'' by

David Allan Coe David Allan Coe (born September 6, 1939) is an American singer and songwriter. Coe took up music after spending much of his early life in reform schools and prisons, and first became notable for busking in Nashville. He initially played mostly i ...

. * The National covered the song in their The Virginia EP in 2007.

References

; Sources * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mansion on the Hill 1947 songs Hank Williams songs Kitty Wells songs Hank Snow songs George Jones songs Roy Acuff songs Willie Nelson songs Roy Orbison songs Michael Martin Murphey songs John Denver songs Charley Pride songs Tompall & the Glaser Brothers songs Bruce Springsteen songs Moe Bandy songs Waylon Jennings songs The National (band) songs Songs written by Hank Williams MGM Records singles Song recordings produced by Fred Rose (songwriter)